Hearn beats Johnson double-team


MALTA - Like gnats at a picnic, the Johnsons kept swarming around Brett Hearn Friday night, and Hearn kept swatting them away.

Hearn survived a bumping incident with Jack Johnson on lap 91, and then held off a late charge from Jumpin’ Jack’s son, Ronnie, to win the CVRA.com 100 Friday night at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

The win was Hearn’s sixth of the season at Albany-Saratoga, and was the 650th of his amazing racing career. Because it was Fan Appreciation Night at the Malta track, fans only had to pay the regular adult admission of $10 to see one of the wildest shows of the year in the 100-lapper, which carried double points.

Hearn has now swept the two biggest races of the season at Malta, as he earlier won $10,000 in the 75-lap CVRA vs. The World.

Hearn, who started 18th, only needed 18 laps to get to the front and grab the lead away from Frank Hoard Sr. But anyone who thought this one was over was sadly mistaken. Jack Johnson, still looking for his first win of the season at Albany-Saratoga, deserved some kind of award for his performance Friday, as he was definitely the hardest working sumbitch on the track.

Johnson was in the wrong place at the wrong time on lap one, when four cars tried to negotiate a turn together, and the Witz Roofing 12A wound up going airborne and slamming back down on the racing surface.

That jolt obviously did something to the suspension of the car. On lap eight, Johnson came to a stop on the racing surface, and ducked into the pits for a quick check. Then, on lap 12, Johnson spun out, and went to the rear of the field for a second time.

Knowing his car had been knocked out of whack, Johnson just tightened the belts, and in the words of his old rival, C.D. Coville, decided the only thing to do was go balls out the rest of the way.

Hearn was clicking off some amazingly fast laps early in the race, nearly breaking the 17-second barrier on lap 18, when he stopped the clocks in 17.011 seconds, and when he got to the front, he was on cruise control. At one point, he was a full straightaway ahead, threatening to turn the race into one big bore.

The real show was behind him, as Johnson was manhandling his car through traffic. He finally broke back into the top five on lap 68, when he swung around both Ken Tremont Jr. and Gene Munger to move into fourth Tremont and Munger had been entertaining the fans with their own little battle for second, and that became a three-car dogfight when Don Scarborough joined the fray. It was Scarborough who came out on top, moving into second on lap 67.

Ronnie Johnson, who had started 14th, also became a factor. Helped by three cautions on laps 61 through 63, Johnson was able to join the lead pack and on lap 70 was third, behind Hearn and Scarborough. Then it began to get interesting. On lap 74, Jack Johnson moved past his son to take over third, and one lap later, moved Scarborough back a spot and was now second to Hearn.

With Hearn running the high line and Johnson tucked in low, side-by-side racing was inevitable, and the fans were on their feet as the two veterans ran door to door. On a number of occasions, Johnson would pull even with Hearn in the turns, only to have Hearn rocket off the corners to maintain his lead.

But on lap 91, the two cars came together going through turn one, with Hearn going off the racing surface, and Johnson spinning to bring out the caution.

Ronnie Johnson avoided the mishap and came out with the lead, while Hearn never took his foot out of the throttle and came back on the racing surface in second place.

That would prove to be very important. Under CVRA rules, the field is realigned as to the last completed lap when the yellow comes out. Because Hearn never stopped going, he was put back in the lead, with Ronnie Johnson second. But the younger Johnson wasn’t done yet. Following the same line his father had used, Johnson also pulled even with Hearn in the closing laps, but Hearn hung on and got the win, worth $3,000, by just 0.235 seconds.

“That was an easy race that turned difficult,” said Hearn in victory lane. “With no radios, you don’t know where anyone is or who is behind you, but I saw a couple of front wheels alongside me in the final laps.”

Jack Johnson also visited Hearn after the race. “Jack said that he had either broken a spindle or hub, which caused him to get into me,” Hearn said.

Ronnie Johnson, who had back-to-back wins in May, was second for the second straight week, while Scarborough was third, his best run of the season at Albany-Saratoga. A.J. Romano finished fourth, and Tim Dwyer was fifth. And despite putting on one of the best shows of the night, Jack Johnson was only 12th.

Tony Ballestero finally broke out of his slump, and came away with his second victory of the season in the Line-X Modified feature. Ballestero had put the Percy Barber small block in victory lane on opening day on May 7, but had struggled to get back into the top five ever since.

But Ballestero was tough right from the start Friday night. After starting eighth, he was up to second after just five laps and finally passed rookie Mike Tholin with three laps to go to get the victory.

Tholin, who has a Jasper crate engine under the hood of his car, turned in his best performance ever, finishing just 0.818 seconds behind Ballestero. Tim Hartman was third, with Erik Mack fourth and Derrick McGrew fifth. Points leader Tim Clemons was sixth. Jeff Sukup, who recorded his first career victory the previous week, only lasted four laps Friday, as he flipped his car in a wild incident on lap five of the feature.

Henry Tanner made short work of the Amsoil pro-street stock feature, taking the lead on lap six and pulling away for his second victory of the season. The real battle was for second, with Brian Holbritter, Butchie Irwin and Joe Santoro refusing to give ground. Irwin finally won that skirmish, getting second, with Holbritter third. Lori Cary came across the finish line fourth, with Santoro fifth.

Kevin Van Chance picked up his first career victory in the 15-lap Rentway Limited feature, going wire-to-wire to get the win over Chris Busta, who was a distant second, and Jim Monroe.

The Pro-Built mini-stocks ran together, with Elmer Montville Jr. getting the victory in his six-cylinder car. Kevin Connors was second in a four-cylinder, and John Baldwin, also driving a four-cylinder, was third.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway will be back in action Friday night, with all divisions competing on the card.

MODIFIEDS (CVRA.COM 100): BRETT HEARN, Ronnie Johnson, Don Scarborough, A.J. Romano, Tim Dwyer, Jack Cottrell, Matt DeLorenzo, Ken Tremont Jr., J.R. Heffner, Frank Hoard Sr., Gene Munger, Jack Johnson, Randy Hotaling, Ron Proctor, Don Ronca, Paul Cirincione, Mike Ronca, Don Ackner, Todd Ryan, Mike Perrotte, Craig Hanson.

LINE-X MODIFIEDS: TONY BALLESTERO, Mike Tholin, Tim Hartman, Erik Mack, Derrick McGrew, Tim Clemons, Mike Ballestero, Rich Ronca, David Peek, Joe Budka, Ed Pieniazek Jr., Keith Flach, Rick Davis, Stan Lemiesz, Jack Gentile, Dick Bisson, Jack Swinton, Ken Anatriello, Jeff Sukup, Jimmy Cottrell.

AMSOIL PRO-STREET STOCKS: HENRY TANNER, Butchie Irwin, Brian Holbritter, Lori Cary, Joe Santoro, Robert Langevin, Joe Mottoshiski, Cale Kneer, Scott Duell, Dean Charbonneau, Chris Maxon, Bernie Companion, William Smith IV, Jeremy Pitts, Bob Schmidt, Rob Muscanell, Matt Anatriello, Walt Brownell Jr., Vince Santoro, Don Piper, Jimmy Eaton, Ed Frank, Adam Tranka.

RENTWAY LIMITEDS: KEVIN VAN CHANCE, Chris Busta, Jim Monroe, Tom Conroy, John Morris Jr., Jeff Monroe, Mike Pfau, Bob Smith, Rich Holmes, Ed Sears, John Filarecki, Jim Monroe Jr., Davd Emigh, Robert Bublak Jr., Brian Ashline, Richard Burke, Shannon Donnelly, Mike Minick, Mike Ostrander, Byron Westcott.

PRO-BUILT MINI-STOCKS: ELMER MONTVILLE JR., Kevin Connors, John Baldwin, Matt Depew, Matt Corbiel, Randy Senecal, Gene Unser Jr., Shea Montgomery, Lewis Kusalonski, Brett Osgood, Ray Galusha, Amanda Clemens, Patty Lucke, Brian Myers Jr., Chris Cary Jr., Dan Petronis, Randy Mann, Mike Cranston, Joe Baker, Jamie McCarthy, Dan Uber. DQ: Rich Mrzyglod, Jeremy Brownell, Ben Durie, John Willis.